Between Morden and Winkler, Pembina Valley Pride has recently put up a billboard — brightly coloured and eye-catching — that acts as a physical reminder that everyone, regardless of identity, should be proud of who they are.
To some, the new sign is also a symbol of how far a community has come.
This message, and this progress, was at the centre of the speech that Pembina Valley Pride President Pauline Emerson-Froebe gave at a special Pride event in the Manitoba Legislative Building on May 29th.
It was an occasion that put the Pembina Valley’s 2SLGBTQ+ community on a stage for the whole province to acknowledge.
Support and an announcement
Thursday’s Pride event at the Legislative Building was an occasion of overwhelming positivity.
Speakers, including Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew, Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care Minister Uzoma Asagwara, Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine, and Elder Charlotte Nolan, shared messages of encouragement and support.
Premier Kinew also announced that the province will invest 2.5 million into Rainbow Resource Centre for Place of Pride, an inclusive affordable housing and resource centre for 2SLGBTQ+ Manitobans.
‘A substantial rainbow community in a very rural place’
Emerson-Froebe's speech after the big announcement began with a resounding “greetings from rural Manitoba,” which elicited cheers from the Winnipeg crowd.
Her speech also touched on the expanse of the region her organization covers — a gap that individuals have crossed to become an active community.
“Pembina Valley Pride covers a wide swath of land from Morris to Cartwright, from Brunkild to Altona,” she said. “Each of these communities has a small rainbow community, but by combining our resources and our social gatherings, we have created a substantial rainbow community in a very rural place.”
The power of game nights, book clubs, and open mics
Emerson-Froebe said that since the organization’s inception in 2019, the group has “worked to create community” through its initiatives and social events.
"We are proving that one doesn't necessarily need to move to an urban environment to be our true selves."
-Pembina Valley Pride President Pauline Emerson-Froebe on the rural rainbow community in Southern Manitoba.
She said the group meets regularly throughout the month in Morden, Carman, and Altona for game nights, book clubs, open mic events, holiday celebrations, brunches, picnics, movie nights, and other community-bonding events.
The result is a noticeable one.
“With the help of each other and our allies, Pembina Valley Pride has helped nurture spaces where we can be ourselves,” she said.
A thank you to friends
Emerson-Froebe closed her speech with a heartfelt thank you to the community members of Winnipeg who have “helped nurture” Pembina Valley’s rainbow community throughout the years.
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She also commented on the current landscape of the Pembina Valley.
“We are proving that one doesn't necessarily need to move to an urban environment to be our true selves,” she said.
“Now it's becoming okay to live where we live, and to stay in the communities that we love.”